A turn of events

It's been an interesting past week here in Mérida.  Last Thursday, March 17, I was made aware of the recent outbreak of the H1N1 Flu in Venezuela and its continuous spread throughout the country.  Unfortunately, the first reported case was early last week here in Mérida, and since then it has traveled to several other states.  News sources are reporting up to 85 cases in the country and climbing, and only 1 death, but I was told today that there have been up to 4 deaths, 2 of which were here in the state of Mérida.  


Luckily I was vaccinated in the US prior to my arrival here, especially because it seems they don't have the vaccination for H1N1.  My family went yesterday (Sunday) to stand in line for 3 hours in the burning sun to get "vaccinated."  Today, in La Frontera (a local newspaper) I read a quote from the Minister of Health that said the vaccinations are not specifically made to prevent H1N1, but they decrease the risk of seasonal flu.  Seems like an attempt to ease and appease the fear of the people.  Regardless, the government is taking many actions that may be doing the opposite.  All classes in Mérida are canceled this week in every school besides ours- the US students are the only ones attending class here this week.  My mamá made a funny comment- she says they must think the North American students are not prone to the flu, as if we are "invincible" or something.  Many public places around town are closed such as the bars, markets, movie theaters, and even some restaurants.  People wear physicians masks everywhere.  And furthermore, the city has been quarantined until the end of the week.  


At first I wasn't sure how to take all of the news- it seems like a big overreaction and it's being blown out of proportion, but the increasing stories of those infected on the news makes the situation a bit more real and therefore seemingly dangerous.  I've been watching the news- El Presidente Chávez is delivering daily speeches telling everyone to remain calm and obey the governor and health minister's orders.  


On that note, the news here shows a very interesting perspective.  It is difficult to find an unbiased news source pretty much anywhere, but I would say Venezuela is a whole new level.  During my first week here in Mérida, my hermano José Alejandro shared his opinions with me on Venezuelan politics, and taught me about how I should interpret the news sources here.  He said there are two main news channels that people watch.  One is a "chavista" (meaning follower/admirer of Hugo Chávez) channel.  José said that this channel shows Venezuela as a "fantasy world" or the world as everyone would like it to be.  On the other hand, the other primary news source shows the "real world", only a much more violent and dangerous version.  The "fantasy" channel covers stories on things like local community heroes, successes of government institutions, and so on.  Furthermore, Chávez is constantly on the screen, speaking out about "El Imperio Yanqui" (the "Yankee Empire") which he uses to refer to the US.  Lately the commentary has been on the country's involvement in Libya and the US's plan to "sabotage" his possible reelection in 2012.  Click here for a story from the Wall Street Journal, and here for a briefer, yet more entertaining story from El Universal.  On the "real world" channel, it seems like the world is going to end tomorrow.  International news is more popular and national news is all about death, violence, and poverty.  


Just thought I would share a bit about the current events here in Venezuela and more specifically, in Mérida.  Hopefully the H1N1 scare won't last much longer and we can go back to life as usual.  Thanks for tuning in everyone. 


Saludos,
Travis


Here's an article from the Star Tribune on March 22 with some more info: http://www.startribune.com/local/118475194.html

La Corrida de Toros

Hola compadres,

Difficult to gauge how quickly March is passing.  We're already half way through it and I only have about a month and a half left in Mérida.  Since the end of March is nearing sooner than I can fathom, I've been trying to put together plans for semana santa (holy week) or in other words, spring break.  So far among the group, I've heard plans to go to Colombia, Perú, Aruba, and Isla Margarita.  My thoughts: since I'll be getting to see those places after Venezuela, why not see a bit more of this wonderful country?  

Therefore, a few of my friends and I are looking into doing some trekking in Parque Nacional La Canaima at Mt. Roraima.  Roraima is one of many tepuis in the eastern state of Bolívar, and is the tallest of the mesa tepuis in South America.  For more information about tepuis, click here.  More specifically, here is some more information about Mt. Roraima.  These tepuis are incredible- they are said to be home to many endemic species and are often referred to as the Galapagos Islands of the mainland.  Should be an awesome adventure. 

Beyond the planning for spring break, I've been busy with school- it's become uncomfortably demanding as tests and presentations are starting to build up in all of my classes.  The school-side of things has become frustrating here in general.  Unfortunately the system isn't as organized and spectacular as I was told, however I'm not letting it effect my experience.  With a month and a half left, I have to enjoy every second here and live to the fullest everyday. 

This past weekend we tried to plan a hiking trip but were unfortunately shot down due to poor weather; rain, fog, and cold temperatures kept us going to the bar rather than the mountains.  Shucks.  Unfortunately I caught what I at first thought was a mild cold and turned out to be a self-diagnosed sinus infection.  I usually get one about once a year around this time.  I've recovered finally, but during the process it was pretty entertaining hearing the comments from my host family.  Everyday, Nilda would ask me "And why don't you go to the doctor?"  I simply told her I didn't want to pay for the bill or the medicine.  She would respond, "That's foolish, it's very cheap and some hospitals are free."  Later in the day, I received a phone call from Nilda's sister, my host aunt Isbelia who said, "My sister tells me you won't go to the doctor."  That's correct, I told her.  After explaining myself multiple times over just why I wouldn't visit the doctor, today I was finally able to answer, "I'm all better!"  Gracias a dios.  Just goes to show that news sure does spread quickly when you have a close family.  Maybe even quicker when they are a Venezuelan family that speaks Spanish at the rate they do...  

Anyways, I don't have many pictures to share for this post, but those that I do are from the Corrida de los Toros, or the bull fights.  What a brutal experience.  I was fully aware of the results of the fights before I  decided to attend, but I thought it would be interesting to check it out.  I was wrong.  First of all, it rained.  And by rained, I mean poured "perros y gatos."  I had learned a lot about the corridas from my brother-in-law Franko before witnessing them.  I won't go into detail, but here are some things I heard.  He told me the animals endure up to two days worth of torture: they are kept in a closed, tight, dark space without food or water, their vision is impaired prior to being released, they are poked, jabbed, and cut to bleed during the bull "fight" in order to be weakened, and in order for a "fight" to be finished, they are killed.  I place the term fight in quotations because it can barely be considered so.  There are up to 7 members of each matador's team.  They take the stage first to taunt the bull and rile it up.  Before the matador makes his grand entrance, the bull is stabbed in the back to cause quick bleeding so that it is weaker and therefore less dangerous when the matador arrives.

As "heroic" as they are to the crowd, they look pretty goofy with the pink capes and tights.

Numerous team members taunting the bull.  

It was comical to see them run behind the walls if a bull got too close.

The first bull took down a horse and the team member atop while being poked continuously with a lance.  

The horse and the team member were perfectly fine- each were able to simply stand up and walk away. 

POR FIN!  The matador arrives, and is greeted like a hero by the people in the stands.

You can barely see them in this picture, but there are about six 2-3 foot-long stakes with hooks on the ends hanging out of the bull's back- these are initially jabbed into the bull to increase the flow of blood and therefore continue to weaken the animal.  

All in all everyone, this wasn't a very pretty site.  I chose a very interesting day to attend.  The stands were especially full because two of the matadors (including the one pictured above) were from Spain, and the third from Venezuela.  Each matador had two bulls, so six bulls were killed that day.  It's amazing how wild people were about this- they would cheer and throw miscellaneous items out onto the field when the matador would throw his hat or flick the cape, and especially when he would successfully kill the bull.  This would come after he racked up some style points with the cape- the matador would proceed to stab the bull in the neck with a sword acquired from a team member.  The points were ranked depending on how quickly the animal died after the initial attempt.  

Sorry for the brutal explanation, but I tried to keep it as innocent as possible.  Basically, the event was difficult to watch, but the atmosphere was thrilling, and the after party in the street, even with the pouring rain, was a blast.  We danced salsa in the street, ate ridiculously over-sized and over-stuffed hot dogs, drank plenty of beer and sangria, and hung out with the locals.  Venezuelan "rumbas" are some of the best.  

Hope you all are doing well.  I'm hearing the good news of warmer weather in Minnesota, so keep being optimistic everyone- Spring is just around the corner.  Enjoy your spring break everyone, and thanks for reading! 

Ciao,

Travis


PS/ Japan, amidst all of the horror it is currently enduring, is in my thoughts and prayers during the recovery and hopeful avoidance of any nuclear issues.  Also, Lybia amidst its chaos and outbreaking civil war is in my thoughts and prayers as well. 

Food, Family, and Las Ferias del Sol

Hello friends and family!

Forgive my posting delays- needless to say I have been enjoying myself every minute of being here and therefore most of my time is being spent with my family or doing something else to keep busy.  March has arrived, and it was sure to be noticed.  It rained for 5 straight days of this past week, and the temperature dropped significantly.  It felt like a Minnesota Spring- how unfortunate.

Las Ferias del Sol began this past weekend, although the on-going joke is that they should be called "Las Ferias del Agua" since there is so much rain.  However, last Friday brought the sun (and the warmth) back thankfully.  Last weekend my friend Meghan and I went to the elección de la reina (election of the queen) at the Plaza de Toros.  Quite the experience- even though we didn't see the election or the coronation, we were still able to experience the big party that it was.  The mix of people, food, sangria, music, and rain was nearly overwhelming, but it made for a good experience overall.

La Plaza de Toros- full of people, but no events took place on the stage due to the rain

Meghan and I in front of the stage at the Plaza de Toros

So far, that's the only experience I've had with the Ferias that are going on through Tuesday, but I believe tomorrow my familia is going to take me to the Metropolitano stadium down the mountain to see some of the events taking place.  


Speaking of family, I've been spending lots of time with them lately.  Since they all love food and cooking so much, I thought we could take advantage of the rainy weather and do just that.  On Saturday, my mamá made "comida árabe" or Arabic food, and it was really amazing.  It included a homemade beef and seasoning recipe wrapped in grape leaves (from the garden- yes, they have a grape vine in the front yard), an Arabic rice dish, tabbouleh, and homemade hummus.  

So good.

Jack and Vicky (newlyweds as of last week and good friends of my family) came over a few weeks ago to make a traditional Chinese dish consisting of braised chicken legs with mushrooms, deep fried green beans and pork, a tomato egg dish, and fried rice- everything was absolutely incredible.  We've been eating internationally quite a bit around here, and looking forward to some more in the next few weeks- I'm hoping to make another dish with the wild rice I brought, and perhaps a Mexican dish, and maybe Italian- the pasta here is pretty cheap.  

Jack (left) and the cooking team prepping

So fresh.

And the final product...

Last but not least, I was finally able to make a cheesecake.  It was a difficult process finding the ingredients- a lot of times here grocery stores will run out of particular items or won't get shipments in- what's there is there, and that's all there is to it.  It's been a bittersweet thing really- I miss having access to all of the products that we do at home, but at the same time, being limited in your resources presents a new challenge for anyone who likes to cook.  Had to use strawberries in place of the famous "mora" or blackberry- here they are rather unique in taste and texture, but needless to say the cake turned out well and they loved it.  I'll be making another one next month for my papá, Jorge's birthday- he and Nilda practically demanded it.  

Furthermore on the food side of things... I've come to know (and somewhat enjoy) sardines, and have re-discovered canned tuna- it is frequently used in my morning arepa, the mayonnaise jar next to my plate and a cup of coffee usually mixed with powdered milk sitting in front of me.  Mayonnaise is a staple food item in most Venezuelan households I have learned, as well as Cheez Whiz and Nestea. It's been really interesting learning about the cultural differences when it comes to food, but also the products that they use here in everyday cooking.  However, even though these items are used a lot, natural is usually the way to cook and eat here.  We go to the market about once every week and load up on all sorts of fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and poultry.  I've been introduced to yuca which is a root that has a texture similar to that of a potato, but a very distinct, very flavorful taste (when cooked right).  I will surely miss it when I leave, and need to figure out where I can buy it back in MN.  Plantains are also a staple, and they are served in the national dish, Pabellón Criollo, which consists of veggies, rice, and beef, topped with a fried egg.  Had a plate of it in the Mercado Principal the other day and now don't want to eat anywhere else for lunch.  

That's about all I've got for food for now.  There is so much more to share... so far the food is one of my favorite things about this country.  

Been hanging out with Maru everyday now- she's even gotten as comfortable with me as to knock on my door in the morning in order to wake me up so we can play.  

All in all, everything is still going great.  I'm meeting all sorts of awesome people- today met an Irish traveler who is here with his Venezuelan girlfriend, and we will hopefully do some hiking over the next few weeks, or maybe make a trip to the beach soon.  Every person I meet here is so awesome- whether always including me in conversation, helping me with my Spanish, sharing travel tips, or telling me I'm always welcome here, I can't get enough of it.

Today I attended a "despedida" or going-away party for my host sister's best friend, Vicky, and her new husband Jack (they were married last weekend).  Jack is from Chicago.  He summed up my thoughts thus far quite perfectly today.  He said "Venezuela es como una droga, y somos adictos" ... "Venezuela is like a drug, and we are addicted."  Every word is so true.

Saludos,

Travis